Every year, California University offers short study abroad trips. This spring, they are offering trips to Costa Rica and Eastern Europe.

Anyone can attend these trips, including students, friends and families of students, other faculty and staff members on campus, or even friends of the adult chaperones, said Dr. Ross.

These trips are offered through Education First, the World Leader in International Education, according to their website. They are an educational travel company with over 50 years of experience and have over 52,000 staff members around the world. Education First offers trips and programs to many different countries and cities, as well as trips based on different specific interests, such as education or STEM. For the two trips offered through Cal this year, the trip to Costa Rica focuses on bio-diversity, and the trip to Eastern Europe is called The Treasures of Eastern Europe, and focuses more on culture of the places that will be visited.

Dr. Beverly Ross, an Assistant Professor at California University of Pennsylvania, is the trip chaperone for Eastern Europe, and other adults will be traveling with her as well. This trip costs $4,850 and that cost is through Education First, and doesn’t include the price of tuition.

Students also need to enroll in INT 300, and students are required to pay the tuition for that class, just like any other college class they would take at Cal, said Dr. Ross. That is how they earn the credits. If they attend the trip without paying the tuition, they wouldn’t be able to earn the credits.

To earn the credits, all students need to do is attend the trip, and then Dr. Madden usually requires them to submit a reflection paper once they return to the states, Ross said. Those are all the only requirements to earn the credits.

The trip to Eastern Europe is 11 days long, and students who attend this trip will visit 3 different countries, including Croatia, Slovenia, and Hungary, and multiple cities within those countries. 

The trip to Costa Rica is 9 days long, costs $3,340, and will take students to San José and Guanacaste, among other places. This information and more regarding this specific trip can be found on Education First’s website.

“I would definitely be interested in attending one of these trips during my time at Cal,” said Cal U freshmen Christina Hall. 

To find more information on the trips to Eastern Europe and Costa Rica specifically, students can go to the Education First website. There, information regarding the itineraries, the costs, and the trips, in general, can be found. If students have specific questions about these trips relative to Cal, such as further information or if you have any concerns regarding credits and requirements, they can reach out to Dr. Beverly Ross and Dr. Sean Madden

More information about the itinerary for the trip to Eastern Europe can be found at this website: https://www.efcollegestudytours.com/professors-trip/2424807ZR.